keelee



(No Model.)

D. W. KEELER. Box GOVER PASTENER.

No. 556,932. Patented Mar. 24, 1896. w

UNITED STATES PATENT rrrona DEVILO XV. KEELER, OF CATTARAUGUS, NEXV YORK.

BOX-GOVER FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,932, dated March 24, 1896.

Application filed September 4, 1895. Serial No. 561,403. (No model.)

To a'ZZ whom it may con/087%:

Be it known that I, DEVILLO XV. KEELEZR, a citizen of the United States, rcsiding at Cattaraugus, in the county of Cattaraugus and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Box-Gover Fasteners, of which the follondng is a specification.

This invention relates to the fasteners which are employed for removably secu ring the lids or covers of boxes.

My invention has for its object to produce a simple fastener of this class which enables the cover to be quickly secured in place.

In the accoinpanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a box provided with my improved fastener, showing the cover secured thereto. Fig. 2 is a fragmcntary side elevation of the box, showing the spring-catch raised for releasing the cover. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the fastener in line 3 3, Fig. l. Fig. z. is a detached inside lview of the fastener corresponding to Pig. 1. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section in line i 4, Fig. a.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A represents the body of an ordinary box and B its lid or cover.

C is an eye, staple or project-ion secured vertically to the outer side of the box at a short distance below its upper edge, and D is a depending lug or casing secured to the same side of the cover and provided at its lower end with a laterally-extendin g hook D', adapted to engage in said eye or staple, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to hold the cover down upon the box. The casing D overlaps the side of the box when the cover is in place, and consists of a Vertical plate having an inwardlyextending niarginal flan ge d, forining the top, bottoin and sides of the casing.

E is a looking catch or hook pvoted to the lower portion of the attaching-plate D and adapted to engage over the upper bar or leg of the staple, on the front side thereof, or, in other Words, on the side opposite that against which the bight of the hook D7 bears, whereby the latter is held against withdrawal from the staple by the looking-catch. This catch is preferably arranged within the casing and is pivote'd thereto by a lug or tongue e extending down'wardly from the shank of the catch and arranged loosely in a socket f forined on the inner side of the front plate of the casing in rear of the hook D', as shown most clearly in Figs. 3 and 5. The catch is provided on the rear side of this socket with a similar lug e', which bears against the adj acent inner side of the casing and aids in retaining the pivot-lug e of the catch in its socket by prevcnting the same froin tipping inwardlyor toward the side of the box. The socket is cast integrallywith the casing. By this construction the catch is pivoted to the plate without the use of a rivet or other separate pivot, and the cost of the fastencr is correspondingly reduced.

F is a spring which tends to depress the catch into the locked position. (Shown in Figs. 1 and a.) This spring is bent around a pin g projecting inwardly from the front Wall of the casing and bears with one end against an abutment g' arranged on said Wall above the pin g and with its opposite end upon the shank of the catch on the front side of its pivot, as shown in Fig. l.

71 is a thumb-piecc or projection arranged on the head of the catch, whereby the latter is swung upward for disengaging it from the staple of the box. ,'l`histhu1nb-piece extends outwardly into or through a slot i fornied in the front plate of the casing.

One of my improved fasteners is arranged on each side of the box, and if the box is of such a length that a pair of the fasteners is insufficient to hold both ends of the cover in place the looking-fastencrs are arranged near one end of the box and a pair of ordinary non-looking fasteners, such as the staple J and hook or lug K, may be arranged near the opposite end thereof, as shown in Fig. l, the staple being securcd to the body of the box and the hook to the cover, like the corresponding parts of the locking-fastener.

Vhen the cover is renioved from the box, the noses of the locking-catches of the fasteners extend across the months of the hooks, as shown in Fig. 4.

In applying the cover to the box the same is so placed that the hooks D' and K stand in rear of the staples, and the cover is then slid lengthwise on the box to cause the hooks to enter the staples, the latter being so arranged that When the bights of the hooks bear against the staples the ends of the cover IOO are flush With the ends of the box. As the 1ockingcatches extend across the month of the hooks, they are deflected Vupward Vby the inclined rear face of their noses riding' over the upper bars orlegs of the staples in engaging the hooks with the 'latter, and' as 'soonas the heads of the catches pass beyond said up- Vperlegs the: catches are depressed by their Springs, causing the same to engag'e'aut inatically in the staples, thereby reliably locking the hooksV in VtheV ,staples As the hooks D' and K overlap the side Walls of the box, they serve to align the cover upon the box in placing it thereon', 'andV Vafter 'applying the cover the same is automatically fastened by simply sliding it into position on the box. The cover is readily released by raisin'g'the locking-catches out of engagement With the staples, as shownin Fig'. 2, when the cover can be slid lengthwise in the proper direction toV withdraw the hooks from the staples.

My improved fastener is especially desirable for securing the covers of boxes designed to receive coffins and commonly termed roughboxesfiV Vbut VtheV sameis equally useful for other purposes-such, for instance, as a seat lock or fastener. When used as a seat-lock theV staple'C is arranged onthe side of the wagon-body and the casing With the hook and spring-catch on the seat in an obvious manner'.

The portion of the fastener carried by the ,cover comprises, in addition to the spring,

but two' parts, Vwhich'are'readily cast, andV the fastener can therefore be manufactnrcd e at smallV cost.

I claiin as my invention- 1. In a box-cover fastener, the combination VWith a casing adapted to be secured to the edge of a box-cover and provided'at'it's lowerV end With a hook adapted to engage With a Vstaple'or'projection on thebody of the box and on its inner side With an upright 'socket` and a swinging spring-catch arranged in said cas'ing', adapted to Vinterlockwith said staple or projection and provided With a pivot-lug,` seated in said socket, substantially as set forth.

2. In a box-cover fastener, the combination With a casing adapted to be secured to the edge of a box-cover'and'provid'ed at its lower end With a hook adapted to engage With a Vstaple orprojection on the body of the box` and on its inner side With an'u'pright socket. 

